Between January 1985 and December 1988, a total of 701 children were admitted to The Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn, NY for treatment of acute asthma. Eleven of these patients (age range between 8 months and 15 years) went into respiratory failure. All cases of respiratory failure were successfully treated with intravenous isoproterenol. Only one patient needed mechanical ventilation. Treatment with isoproterenol was safe and effective without any complications. We present our experience in the use of isoproterenol in treating children with respiratory failure secondary to status asthmaticus. A brief review of the literature is included.